With the advent of the microprocessor, virtually all modern vehicles have come to utilize onboard computers to control and monitor engine and electrical system functions. Such vehicle onboard computers typically interface with a multiplicity of sensors and transducers, which continuously detect vehicle and engine operational parameters and provide representative electrical signals to the onboard computer. The data collected and processed by the onboard computer can be useful in the diagnosis of vehicle engine and electrical system malfunctions. Thus, the vehicle onboard computer typically includes a communication port connector that allows certain of the collected data to be transmitted to an independent computer analyzer, which may process the data, store the data, or present the data in a visual format that can be interpreted by vehicle maintenance and repair technicians.
In conjunction with these technological developments, a variety of specialized computer analyzers, or vehicle diagnostic tools, have been developed and marketed to provide vehicle maintenance and repair technicians access to the data available from the vehicle onboard computers. The current technology includes a variety of hand-held vehicle diagnostic tools with considerable processing capabilities, typically incorporating an integral display and capable of displaying the onboard computer data in a variety of graphical formats that allow vehicle technicians to view and interpret the data. Use of such vehicle diagnostic tools, frequently referred to as scan tools, has become the standard in vehicle diagnostics.
However, when vehicle technicians perform diagnostic testing, the technician frequently is required to consult a variety of different sources to gather the needed vehicle technical information. For example, a vehicle technician may consult a vehicle maintenance manual, a component maintenance manual, a spare parts catalog, as well as a supplementary repair manual that addresses common conditions related to a particular vehicle with associated repair instructions. In addition, the vehicle technician sometimes may be required to use more than one type of diagnostic tool in order to perform a complete and accurate diagnosis of a vehicle condition. This process can be inconvenient and time consuming. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus that consolidates an assortment of technical information and diagnostic functionality in a single diagnostic tool.